Freda's House, March 2019

This is, somewhat morbidly, the second house I have now explored with cremated human remains in-situ.

I was tipped off about this place by a friend of mine so decided to give it a look. It's well hidden off a main road, so well in fact that if you didn't know it was there you'd simply speed right on past it. The house is absolutely rammed full of stuff, the lifes work of a hoarder. A sea of clothing, hundreds of books, boxes filled with all the paperwork the family ever owned and, of course, the all too familiar stacks of newspaper. I counted no fewer than eight TVs scattered through various rooms as well as four stoves/cookers, and the kitchen/pantry had more canned food items in it than I had ever seen before. We even found the original deeds to the land the house was built on stashed in a box amongst family photos and other possessions.

As we sifted (I don't like the term 'rummaged') through the belongings in various rooms a confusing picture of the history of the house/family who lived there slowly became apparent. The house was built in 1920 and looks to have been lived in by the original family ever since. One of the family members was employed by British Airways and there were Christmas cards sent from relatives in America and various small American items in the house - whether this ties in with his employment I'm not certain. Other members of the family would appear to have been involved in the farming industry. Freda, the last apparent resident, passed away in the mid 90s and it's her little ashes casket which sits on an upstairs window sill. The pair of vans outside were last taxed in 1991 and 1993, which also ties in with many of the dates on foodstuffs and letters and all sorts. However there were a few seemingly 'out of place' items including post/letters and newspapers from 2004, and canned food that only expired in 2010 (ten year shelf life?). So whether the house was still occupied in some way up to that point, I do not know.

Overall it was a very peaceful place to explore, I didn't feel any sort of sadness or indeed a feeling of anything really in the house. A lot of the house is shrouded in near darkness which did make shooting it a chore - and I, of course, managed to forget my 30mm prime lens.

Well they didn't starve to death..
(I see lots of challenges for Ashens in that pantry..)

Another find I'm jealous of. I'll never come across something like that but then again - do dormant blood sucking bugs come out of hibernation when you enter places like that? I'm itching here just thinking about it!

I reckon that if eBay was a physical thing it would look like the inside of the house. So much stuff heaped up! I spy a lot of familiar things such as the comic? with mention of the atom at the top. I've seen that one when younger.
Lots of younger generation photos. Surely there's family still around? Someone put the ashes (not Ashens) onto the window ledge..
The ancient stove is something I'd give a kidney for. What a wonderful piece of ironwork. I spotted other good stoves too.
Judging by the quality of goods in there I'd say they had a fair amount of money.

An excellent find that. I'll never come across one up here. Thanks for sharing.

I think I counted 5 TVs in there, the first looks like a Ferguson 3852, one of the last large screen black & white sets.

They are rare these days as they had a habit of catching fire & many of the hire companies recalled & scrapped them, leaving most survivors being privately purchased items.

I'm not sure what the others are, but the one on the trolley stand looks a bit newer, probably from the early 1980s.

My son doesn't believe me when I tell him about our rental TV that'd burst into flames on an almost weekly basis!
I have memories of us kids sitting waiting impatiently as the repair man would slide a new circuit board in. We were desperate to watch Saturday morning TV.

About us

DerelictPlaces is a forum for people with an interest in the history and documentation of disused, derelict and abandoned buildings to come together and share their experiences, photography and historical findings. Our military, industrial and historical heritage is fast disappearing under the pressure of regeneration, the need for new housing, and often through simple neglect; Our aim is to document these places before they disappear entirely.